


A Simple Braid

by MerryDreaming



Series: Under the Myriad, a Place is Earned (Fire Emblem Heroes) [5]
Category: Fire Emblem Heroes
Genre: Drabble, Female Summoner | Eclat | Kiran, Fluff, Gen, Hair Braiding, Hair Washing, Laguz Summoner, One Shot, Self-Indulgent, hi this is the most stupidly indulgent thing i've ever written, just some past stuff, no regrets on this stupid train
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-07
Updated: 2018-04-07
Packaged: 2019-04-19 14:23:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14239176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MerryDreaming/pseuds/MerryDreaming
Summary: Deirdre can't stand to see the matted mess that is the summoner's hair, and decides to do something about it.





	A Simple Braid

**Author's Note:**

> This one's set more in the past, before the Nifl invasion and the like. Basically, some backstory fic.
> 
> ...And a desire to write some stupid shit. That's the primary reason this exists.
> 
> (small update for the general fic as well: I'm gonna wait until the next Book II chapter to get another chapter of the main story out. I'll probably have another drabble for next week's reddit prompt, but once we get news on what's going down I'll have a better direction.)

Aileen's first impressions have never been her strong suit. If anyone knew that well, it was Deirdre. The woman she saw when she was summoned to Askr all that time ago had a face with a dull expression, scanning her up and down with her eyes for a moment before asking her for her name without the expression changing. Deirdre's wasn't much better, granted; both women were quite blank in the face, but Aileen made it an art form. The woman's face rarely left the register of a bored, uneffected stare, and one could easily mistake her for someone who didn't take any pride in her work. Or anything at all, really.

Of course, the real first impression Deirdre remembers of the woman is that long mess of matted hair that framed the woman's face underneath the hood. It went down to her ankles, and compared to the well kept members of the Order, it made her stand out in all of the worst ways. She was certain that the only reason it didn't have any sticks or debris in it was because they at least ordered her to keep it somewhat clean. It was, quite frankly, unsalvageable from the look of it; it would take even the finest maids in the realm days to struggle through every tangle and work it into something manageable. Deirdre didn't really remember how her own hair was so well taken care of, really, but...

It's months down the line that Deirdre brings this up to Aileen at all. The response she's left with is a dull shrug, and a statement that she doesn't really care about how she looks. That she bunches her hair in her hood should she have to go out, so she doesn't look out of place among the Order. It's simply life, is what she says, and Deirdre's not sure when she decided that she wasn't going to have any of it, but...

"Please...will you allow me to try something?"

The words get Aileen to pause a bit, her expression becoming just a bit apprehensive. They had been working together long enough that they held some level of trust for one another, but the summoner couldn't really comprehend just what the woman had in mind.

Still, the response Deirdre gets is a shrug, but accompanied by a nod of the head. "Sure? Don't know why, but..."

Deirdre smiles at that much, telling Aileen that she'll be right back.

When she comes back, it's with the weirdest smelling concoction that Aileen has ever smelt in her life and a set of scissors. But when the woman tells her to draw a bath, she does, and once that's done the woman sets to work.

Most of the hair really isn't salvageable, she finds, even after working it through; Deirdre has nary an idea of how it could have gotten so bad, but if the summoner's demeanor is any indication, she's likely been doing this for years. That's more than okay, though, and it's why Deirdre brought the scissors with her. Reading about hair care isn't the same as gaining experience by doing such a thing, but she's at least was making sure she didn't take too much out. Really, she figured it might be easier to take care of a shorter length of hair first, and then let it grow out naturally.

It takes hours. Hours of silence that neither woman is inclined to break, if mostly because of Aileen's lack of socialization. But by the time the care is done, the tub is filled with much of the summoner's hair, and the woman is able to lift her head and seems to jolt at how light it is now. She runs her fingers through it like it's the first time she's ever been able to do such a thing, and...

...Deirdre can see the uneven cuts, and it causes her to wince a bit. But if Aileen minds, she doesn't see it as her expression seems to light up, running her fingers through her wet hair over and over again.

" _How_?" Aileen asks, her tone filled with awe and amazement like she'd seen some kind of trick. "Was that magic?"

Deirdre chuckles as that, grabbing a towel and going over to dry Aileen's hair. "You could call it that, if you'd like. Just something I researched."

"Like...witch's brew? With that thing. The stuff in the bath."

"Perhaps."

Aileen doesn't really know how to respond, but she gets her hands out of her hair while Deirdre dries it off. It makes the uneven cuts a little less obvious when it's like that, but the forest woman seems to think of something while she looks at the bathroom mirror.

"Do you have any ribbon?"

"Should in a drawer." Aileen tilts her head a bit, her expression open with curiosity painted all over it. "Don't use 'em that much, but..."

Deirdre's off before Aileen can elaborate, and when the woman comes back, she works in front of the summoner and separates her hair into thirds. It takes a little bit--Deirdre's hands aren't exactly deft, and trying to remember how to do a braid from reading is an experience if nothing else, but when she's done, the summoner's black hair is tied tightly into a braid on the right side of her head. Gesturing Aileen to look in the mirror, the summoner does and pauses when she sees herself.

"... _Woah_."

Aileen was never an eloquent one, but Deirdre seems to smile. The summoner can't quite match the expression, but she still has that curious look about her. It's something.

"You'll need to take care of it now. It will look far better than the mess you had before." Deirdre places a hand on the summoner's shoulder with a smile full of support. "I would be happy to help you with it, should you like."

"...Yeah." Aileen tilts her head a few times in the mirror, before turning to look at Deirdre and look at her hand. The summoner's never been good with touch, and though she stares for a little too long, she doesn't shrug the woman's shoulder off or make her try to leave. "Could use that magic of yours. Would probably mess it up."

It was an odd start to something resembling friendship, but if it meant that the woman could look at herself with that odd sense of curiosity...well, it was worthwhile.


End file.
